Comments by "Helen Trope" (@heliotropezzz333) on "Dominic Raab says Boris Johnson has asked him to deputise for him while he's in hospital" video.

Thank the NHS staff by giving them decent pay rises in future, and put an end to privatising services. You are lucky you still have a national service in this crisis.
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@AL AL Because 1) private care siphons off funds as profits whereas a public service does not and 2) Co-operation between different parts of the service is much easier in a public service. Private service contracts work against co-operation because private firms are in competition with each other and don't want to share information that might give competitors an edge, and because private firms will only do what's in their contracts, so it would not be easy to switch resources around to areas of highest priority as needed in situations such as this pandemic. Also private companies only normally want to cherry pick 'low cost' cases for maximum profit.
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@mhffc It's not 'open to the world' If those who are not entitled to use the NHS engage in 'health tourism' they have to pay for it. People who do not pay are those where there are 'reciprocal arrangements' which means countries have agreed not to charge each other for treating people who fall sick while on holiday or while living abroad temporarily - such as happens in the European Union with the EHIC card. That means British tourists would also get free treatment in EU countries (before Brexit anyway). The only foreigners without 'reciprocal arrangements' who would get free treatment under the NHS, are those who need emergency treatment.
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@mhffc In 2010 When the Labour government left office, the NHS was ranked top or near top among the world's health systems, the annual patient survey produced the highest ever satisfaction levels and the waiting lists were the shortest ever. It's the Tories that have damaged it since then and they spent £3 billion on a bureaucratic re-organisation. It's not the NHS that needs scrapping, it's the Tory government. The UK spends less as a percentage of GDP on its health service than Germany and as for Spain and Italy, they haven't been doing too well on the Coronavirus pandemic. Of course it's a joke when the Tories make it so, but if it wasn't a national service now, the Tories would be struggling to get some kind of national and co-ordinated health policies implemented. Private hospitals don't have A&E departments and people without health insurance, in a private only healthcare system would be struggling to get any care. If you want to talk about financial 'black holes' what about all the wasted money spent on defence for equipment that turns out to be late or no good. It's ironic that governments imagine the world might end in a war. It's more likely to be a virus or pollution now that's the biggest danger to our continued existence.
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